Chaeles a



(No Model.)

C.i A. P-ITKIN; sr.

`FRUIT DRIER.

No. 374,697. PatentedDec. 13, 1887.

.Iv-'1.9.1. .mfg/9.2

ytray-carrying baskets.

UNITED STATES PATENT ERICE.,-

FRUIT- DRlER..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,697, dated DeeemberlS, 1887.

Application filed April 2T, i887.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. PITKIN,

Sr., of San Jos, Santa Clara county, State of of machines,=as 4I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure l is a vertical cross-section of my fruitdrier, taken on the line Z Z, Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of same on the line y y of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line Y Y of Fig. 2.

A is the shell of the drier, in which is mounted a wheel, B, consisting of an axle or shaft, b, and radial arms b.

Care the tray-carrying baskets, having arms c, suspending them from the rim of the wheel. The rim of the wheel is usually composed of transverse rods b2, carried by the end heads or radial arms, and to these rods are hinged the It is usual to suspend but one basket from a rod; but in some cases two have been attempted; but when two are used the weight is so great as to cause a sagging of the rods,which throws the baskets out of true and causes their corners to come in contact with the radial arms. Io avoid this difficulty, I provide central radial arms, D, eX- tending from the axle b, and which practically divide the wheel into two parts, said arms serving to brace rods b2 or the rim of the wheel, of whatever character said rim may be. In this wayI am enabled to provide a practi cal double machine which is strong and will not sag in any part. In the bottom portion of the shell is located the heater or stove F, to the back of which are connected the heating pipesf, having the chimney-exitf.

Above the stove and the heating-pipes, and occupying a horizontal plane completely filling the width of the shell, is a deflecting-plate, G, the length of which, however, is not as Serial No. 236,361. (No model.)

great asthat of the shell, its ends stopping short, whereby an opening, g, is formed at the back of the shell and an opening, g', is formed at the front. The rear end of the deiiectingplate is preferably made with a flange, g,

turning upwardly, and its forward end is made i `by a space, h, said walls coming up to the lower edge of the downwardly-turned flange g3 of the detlecting-plate and on a level with the top of the stove. These walls completely traverse the space between the side walls of the shell and the stove or heater, whereby the compartments h are formed, which communicate directly above with the drying-chamber, and through the damper-controlled opening in the ange g3 of the deflecting-plate with the heating-chamber, andfI make them communi.

cate with the outside air by means of ports or holes 7L' through the end wall of the shell, said ports being controlled by valves h2.

The grate-bars of the stove or heater do not come entirely tothe feed-door, as my obj ectis to draw as much heat toward the back as possible, thus leaving the compartments h much cooler.

I are the pipes or tubes by which the outer air is admitted to the heating-chamber, said pipes passing through the wall of the shell and through thetops of the compartment-walls H, and thus the outside air may be introduced directly into the heating-chamber.

J is a vertical box forming a passage at the side of the shell. The upper end of this box communicates with the upper portion of the drying-chamber at j, and in its lower end is a controlling-valve, j.

The general operation of the machine is as follows: Suitable power is applied to rotate the wheel Bwithin the drying-chamber. The cold air passes in through the pipes I and is directed backwardly into the heating-chamber,

whereby it is thoroughly heated, and, as the IOO inner end of the heating-chamber is the highest in point of temperature, it will pass tothe opening g left by the deflector-plate at the back of the shell, and will thence go upwardly into the drying-chamber. When it has become saturated with moisture, it circulates downwardly, assisted by the rotation of the wheel, through the drying-chamber, and, finding the cooler front portion of the shell,will pass down through the opening g' at the front of the de-' hector-plate, and while a portion ofthe less heavy air will pass through the damper (if said damper is open) on fiange 'gi of the de- Hector-plate, and back again into the heatingchamber, the larger portion of it will drop down into the compartments h and may be drawn oi` through the valve-controlled ports h, but in case the air is so-heavily charged' with moisture that it is not desirable toallow any of it topass again intothe heating-chamber, I- close the damper g, sov that all the air passes into the compartments h and outl througliports h. 'That portion of the saturated air whichV still remains in the top of the-d'rying-cliamber 4 and? communicating with the drying-chamber above, valved openingsl by which said coruwill pass through the opening at j and down into the box J, where the thoroughly-satin` rated part may be drawn oft" through the valve j.

The advantages of the several novel points of construction which I have here described may be summed up as follows: rlhe central radial arms D permit me to use a doubleset of suspended baskets without causing the wheelrim (of whatever nature saidI rimmay be)to sag. rIhe defiectonplate, separating the-heating-chamber from the drying-ehambeqprovides, by means of its openings at each end, for the proper circulation, while the cooler compartments h at the front of` the shelll provide for the discharge of such portions of moisture-laden air as may fall dbw-nout of the circulation. The box J at the sideof the shellV provides for drawing o thetop moisture without losing any of the still useful hot air within the drying-chamber.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure-by'liet'tersH Patent, is 1 1. In a fruit-drier, a shell and a Stove, and

heating-pipes located within its lower portion,

in combination with a horizontally-arranged deHecting-plate above the stove and pipes, and

whereby the compartments h are formed coni- 6o municating above with the drying-chamber, and valve-controlled openings through the outer shell communicating with said compartf iments, substantially as herein described.

2. In a fruit-drier, a shell and a stove, and 65 heating-pipes located within its lower portion, in combination with a horizontally-arranged defiecting-plate above the stove and pipes,saidplate dividing the shell into a heating and a communicate, the short walls formed' within theshell on each side of the stove and rising to the plane of its top, whereby the compart- 'ments h are formed directly under theopen- 75 in'g at the outer end 'of the deiiectingplate partments communicate with the outer air,

ydrying chamber, and leaving openings at its 70 finner andl outer endsby which the chambers said detiecting-plate having adownward flangev 80 meetingtlie-tops of the'short walls and provided with openings, and a controlling-damper, whereby thedrying-chamber is separated from `or allowed to communicate with the front fof the*lieatingchamber, substantially as herein 85 described. f

3; 1in-a fruit-drier, a shell having a heater or stove and heating-pipes, as described, in combination with the horizontally-arranged d'eecting-plate having theflange g and the 9c openings g g', the compartment-walls within the endof the shell, having their tops meeting the' lower edge of said ilange, valved` openings communicating with the compartments, and' cold-air pipes extending through the outer g5 Witnesses:

Si H. NoURsn, C. LEE. 

